Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Minnesota/South DakotaAnd for a very good reason - It was our granddaughter's wedding day!

And okay, I do have a few photos to show you.So bear with me.And in the meantime, be sure to joinJoyce and the Gangfor

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1. Can you believe we're rolling in to the Labor Day weekend? What's a project you'll labor over this fall?

I hate to mention this, because I've said in the past that I was going to clean out the house. It's been a busy life, and everything else is way more interesting than cleaning out the house. On the other hand, it's something I don't want my kids to have to do after I'm gone (no immediate plans for a funeral, but you know what I mean.)

I didn't really mean to hijack the Hodgepodge today,

but did I mention what a wonderful wedding it was?

First there were photos out at the home farm of the

bride's great grandparents

2. Tell us about the best perks you ever had in a job?

It would probably be either working in the turkey hatchery when I was a kid, and was allowed to take home a couple turkey eggs which I got to see hatch out on top of the old TV in my bedroom OR it was homeschooling our kids, which meant I got to work from home, compile the curriculum, go on lots of nature hikes and field trips to interesting places like battlefields and museums. And the students were cute and fun and intelligent (oh wait, they were my kids, so that's bragging.) :-)

And the bride was taken to the wedding venue (another barn) for the ceremony, riding in fine style in her great grandfather's 1942 Chevy truck that had recently been restored by her uncle. Our son is the bride's father, but you might have figured that out. He's the happy man in the photo above.

3. August 31st is National South Carolina Day. Have you ever been to SC? Any desire to go? According to Southern Living, these are the top ten things to do in South Carolina...

Explore Charleston, bike, golf or relax on Hilton Head Island, see the beach and the boardwalk at Myrtle Beach, visit the state museum in the capital city Columbia, observe the wildlife and natural beauty of the Ace Basin, take a walk or hop on a trolley and check out Greenville's charming main street, visit Fort Sumter where the Civil War began, stroll through Pearl Fryar's Topiary Garden in Bishopville leaving time to check out The Button Museum, also in Bishopville, see Morgan Island (also known as Monkey Island)-home to nearly 4000 Rhesus monkeys.

We drove through SC on the way from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia to Washington DC by way of Grove City and Beaver Falls, PA back when our daughter was looking at colleges to attend. Also, when we took our granddaughter on her junior college trip, we visited Bob Jones University among others (Patrick Henry, Grove City, etc.). What I remember was that BJU was gorgeous, but I'm really glad she didn't end up attending there. I think I'd like to visit Myrtle Beach on a beautiful summer day when no one else is there. :-)

Which is most appealing to you today? If you're a SC native, resident, or frequent visitor what would you add to the list?

I can't wait to see what Pam from EmptyNest writes for this one.

And it was one of the best Christian wedding messages I've ever heard. I even got to have some good discussion with the pastor afterwards. I'm sure he enjoyed that. LOL

I choke up whenever I see the photo of THE HUG. Every parent who's ever entrusted their child to another human being knows what that feels like. Note the happy (and probably relieved) parents when the wedding was all over. It was an incredible amount of work for them, but they pulled it off beautifully.

After reading this question, I got out the pork and have a pork loin in the CrockPot for pulled pork this evening. Jack Daniels BBQ sauce was the only one I could find that didn't have the usual poisons that give me a headache, so I went with that. And I know it's good. We served it at the family reunion eons ago in early August.

5. What's one important skill you think every person should have? Why?

EVERYONE needs to learn how to read a map. Because. Just because. Everyone should know where they are on the planet and how to get to somewhere else.

lib.utexas.edu

The red line marks our 6 1/2 hour trip from home to Brookings, SD, where the wedding was held. And the next day we did it all again, in reverse. But just look how much longer a drive it could have been!

One needs to be able to navigate spots like this.

I can imagine someone getting stuck in one of these for days.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I'll have to admit that although I was, indeed, listening to the wedding message, it was hard to take my eyes off the cute ring bearer (our grandson) during the wedding ceremony. I think he was a little bored, don't you?

I didn't watch the eclipse, exactly, but watched 'dusk' coming early and going away again and saw eclipse patterns on the back boardwalk.

One of our sons and his family drove to the PATH OF TOTALITY and observed the eclipse. They thought it was a great experience. I heard that one kid laid a large sheet of white paper on the ground and held a colander above it. That was sure a clever idea! I'll do that next time around - although it would mean driving to the east coast, I hear.

I'd take a Sunkist orange, or maybe the Starburst candies. Nothing can eclipse them in the sweet/tart/chewy department. Okay, that was lame.

As I was aiming my camera at these cattle, the owner hollered at me, 'There's an eagle nest in that tree. It's a lot more interesting than my cattle.' I hollered back, 'Thanks, but I have an eagle nest too, and I don't have cattle.' (particularly not beautiful Highland and Angus).

2. What are you 'over the moon' about these days? What's something you enjoy doing every 'once in a blue moon'?

I can think of nothing that I'm particularly 'over the moon' about. And once in a blue moon, I enjoy going to a good movie. I love having the family together, which is probably my most over-the-moon experience, and we'll get to see a lot of family this weekend when our granddaughter gets married in South Dakota.

3. Tell us about something in the realm of science that interests you. How do you feed that interest?

Physics interests me in that I can plug in the vacuum cleaner and it works. I try to avoid feeding that interest too often.

Medical science interests me in that joint implants have advanced so much since my dad had his first hip replacement in the Middle Ages. I suppose that might be physics also.

Anyway, I feed that interest (and the surgeon) by making sure to get one every couple years.

4. What are a few things you remember about going back to school as a child?

I remember going to Rice Lake with my mom for that yearly back-to-school shopping trip. My mom and I had differing ideas about shopping. She wanted me to try on ten blouses to find just the right one. I wanted to quickly flip through the rack to the one I could tell I wanted without all that trying on bit. But when I was a kid, I reluctantly used Mom's method of clothes shopping. Now I use mine. I'll know it when I see it. And I'll buy it. But not often. I hate clothes shopping.

5. I've seen several versions of this around the net so let's make one of our own...share with us five words that touch your soul and briefly tell us why.

Mom or Grandma (I shouldn't have to explain that to any mom - or grandma.)

Spring (I shouldn't have to explain that to anyone who lives north of the Mason/Dixon line.)

Forgiven (See graphic)

Joy (See graphic)

Peace (See graphic)

found on Pinterest

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Jazzie, the sweet grandpuppy, reached her expiry date last week. She was showing signs of waning health and being in pain. The cute pup you see on the left is how she looked shortly after we first met her at the local animal shelter, and the upper right photo is one I took during the family reunion at our place a couple weeks ago. Jazzie would have been 13 years old on Halloween. She was one sweet dog. Her family and we will miss her.

Well I can't tell you how often I think of that very question throughout my day. As God's image bearers to the world, His spirit within us, followers of Jesus are to be His instruments of healing and justice, protecting the innocent and caring for the poor, bringing hope to a world in despair. But how does that work out practically? For one, I think it means that we don't try to oppose hate with more hate or oppose violence with more violence, but to oppose it with the only thing that ever makes a real and lasting difference - God's love. Displaying, reflecting the love of God into the world.How different would my life be if I were to be obedient, day by day, to the commission to reflect God's image to the world.

'Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.' - Philippians 2:5-8

Mr. C. could not understand why I'd want

to have a photo of the full moon sitting on top of the transformer.

2. Sick as a dog, go to the dogs, dog days of summer, dog tired, it's a dog's life, every dog has it's day, can't teach an old dog new tricks...now doggone it which saying could most recently be applied to your life?

I guess my answer to that would be dog days of summer. I hate to think about it, but there are surely signs of fall in the air as August moves on. Even the air smells different. The staghorn sumac, the cattails, the apples on the trees along 5th Avenue, all point to summer winding down. I'm hanging onto it as long as possible, though, and we've still got a lot to pack into August and September.

Front porch in the evening.

Yeah, it kinda looks like an airport runway when all the lights are on.

3. Your favorite book featuring a dog in the storyline? What makes it a favorite?

Photo from Amazon. After reading no fewer than 25 dog books before picking up my three-month old German Shepherd (R.I.P.) puppy in the spring of 2001, nevertheless, when it came to teaching that dog to come when I called him, it was an exercise in futility. He came when he felt like it. And when there was a choice between coming to me or chasing any moving animal, you know how I fared in that scenario. NOTHING worked. I followed all the training instructions in every book I found, still I was lucky if he came when called. Then I read this book, 'Smarter Than You Think' by Paul Loeb. It was like a miracle. It totally worked and worked fast. I'll let you read for yourself, but let me say that it was not a matter of force, but learning this neat little trick. And it gave me a dog who always came when I called him. I can't say enough about this book. And Paul Loeb's dog is in the storyline.

Morning. Looking south from the front porch, August.

4. What's something you hope to one day have the confidence to do?

I can't think of anything. I should probably say, 'Drive in the Big City,' but I have absolutely no desire to even have the confidence to do that.

Monday, looking SE from the front porch.

5. August 16th is National Tell a Joke Day. So tell us a joke.

Okay, my all-time favorite joke, and let me preface it by saying that this is deer hunting country up here, so...

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says, "Calm down. I can help. But first, you're sure he's dead." There is a silence; then a gun shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says, "Yup, now what?"

My other favorite joke is: (These are my two favorites, so you're getting them both.)

The newly-married couple is sitting at the kitchen table, the wife, with no cooking experience behind her, waiting to see how her husband will react to the meal she had made. Unfortunately, the food was so bad that the guy simply couldn't choke it down, so he gave it to the dog. Later, the wife saw the dog licking its butt. 'What is she doing??' the wife asked.

'She's trying to get the taste out of her mouth,' the husband said, under his breath.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Shorewood Resort in ChetekThe owner carved that amazing 'Angel of the North' (western Wisconsin)Warm, wonderful summer goings on in the front yard

View from the front porchon August 6

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Plug them into your own blog post

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And before we get started, a huge Congratulations to Joyce and her husband on becoming grandparents and to their daughter and her husband on becoming parents to a darling little boy. Check out Joyce's post. I am sure there are photos of the wee one, and he's really a cutie!

1. Do you try to set rules for yourself about how you use your time? Explain.

Yes, I have to set rules or I end up sitting too long at the computer. The toll that sitting takes on one's back and hips is why I went to blogging only one day a week. I'll admit that I used to be better about making and following rules.

Pontooning on Prairie Lake

Mr. C. guzzling sparkling water

Lucy conked out

My firstborn and I. Look at those noses - they're hand picked!

Joe with his best catch of the day.

EE learning the fine points of the carved walking stick eagle.

2. Monday was National Lighthouse Day. Have you ever visited a lighthouse? If not, do you have any desire to see one up close? Of the 10 Most Beautiful that made this list which would you most like to see in person-

I've seen a few lighthouses in my time, and they were on Lake Superior. They're beautiful. I like them on the lake, on my dishes, and on postage stamps.

When you've been away, what's your 'lighthouse' telling you you're on the right road home?

New Scandinavia Lutheran Church. It's less than two miles from our home, but it always is a comforting sight when I've been on a long road trip, like the fifteen miles to buy groceries in Rice Lake.

(nearly) Full Moon Walk, Campfire

Piano Serenade, Game table

French Toast Breakfast

3. What have you unintentionally stopped doing? Is this something you need to pick back up and begin again, or is it something you need to let go of for now (or even permanently)?

I stopped gardening, but that was intentional, although I hope to be back into gardening in a small way next spring. I can't think of anything that I've stopped unintentionally. Oh wait. I know. I unintentionally stop watching many movies if I lie down on the couch in the evening. I watched one of the newest Vera episodes in three installments.

Lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

4. We've had a full week of August. Share a GRAND moment from your month so far.

The photos in this post sum it up. It was a grand birthday/family reunion weekend with lots of GRANDS. I always love it and it always takes me a couple days to recover.

Games in the front yard

5. Tell us one song you love with the word 'baby' in the title.

Unfortunately, the first thing that popped into my head was 'Baby Love' by Diana Ross and the Supremes. And now that will most likely be stuck in my head until another earworm takes its place. 'I've Got You, Babe' by Sonny & Cher just made its way onto my radar screen.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Mr. C. and I went to the movies to see Dunkirk. It was a great disappointment to both of us. After watching it, I wondered who had been their target audience when they decided to make the film. They put lots of loud, redundant air fight action in for the teens, the theme of Dunkirk in for us oldies, and I'm wondering what kind of paycheck Kenneth Branagh got for his very few lines, for looking serious, concerned, and wistful. Mark Rylance had a few more lines, but to be honest, 'The White Feather' episode of Foyle's War or even 'Mrs. Miniver' was better! Or better yet, a documentary. And at the end, where the kid read Churchill's speech from the newspaper, I expected his voice to fade out and be replaced with Churchill's. After all, we know that voice - at least some of us, and I was ready to hear it. I would give Dunkirk TWO STARS (out of 5). One star because of Mark Rylance, and one star because the popcorn was pretty good.

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